Waiting
by AuroraExecution
Summary: Eowyn waits on the cliffs for her husband to return and reflects on Faramir.


**Disclaimer**: Lord of the Rings is not mine. Nothing about Lord of the Rings is mine.

**Note**: I'm not completely sure about the geography. Sorry if there isn't really a sea area near Ithilien.

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Eowyn stood shivering on the cliffs near Ithilien. Although she was wrapped in the thick star cloak that Faramir had given her as a wedding gift, she was still cold. Eowyn was fond of the cloak. Faramir said it used to belong to his mother Finduilas before she died. Eowyn had first worn it one fateful afternoon on the walls of Minas Tirith, with Faramir beside her, looking into the end of the world. 

Faramir. She smiled to herself, guessing how he would berate her for coming alone to the cliffs to wait for his return. He would say that it was safer to have others around, and that if something happened to her, no one would be able to find her. And she would probably remind him that she was once a shieldmaiden of Rohan. Besides that, though, Eowyn knew there was another reason why she came alone. This was _her_ husband returning, no one else's. He was usually away for long periods of time, in this case four months, and when he returned, she wanted to spend time with him uninterrupted by maids and guards.

She wasn't completely sure when he would arrive, or from which direction. All she knew was that he was sailing from the southern lands, and that he was supposed to be back one of these few days. And how she wanted him to be back. To be four months without her husband was a trial for even a shieldmaiden. Sometimes she wondered how her sister-in-law Lothriel and Queen Arwen managed to wait such a long time for Eomer and Aragorn to return from the far heathenish places in which they were always fighting.

Eowyn tugged her cloak closer around her shoulders, taking in a deep breath of the garment. That was another reason she liked the star cloak; it smelled like Faramir. _How _does _Faramir smell?_ she wondered. _Besides good, of course._ It was not something she could really match to actual smells. Eomer usually smelled a great deal like horse. Most of her maids usually smelled like perfume and clothing. Faramir, though…he smelled like nothing she had ever smelled…or perhaps he smelled like too many things to name. The star cloak smelled like Faramir, a fragrance reminiscent of distant places and growing things and gentleness.

She'd been standing for a long time, and her legs were growing tired. Eowyn found a place nearby and sat down, dangling her feet callously over the edge. Faramir used to do that same thing a lot, and for a long time, it scared her. Even though she wasn't ever afraid of anything, she used to suddenly tense when it looked as though Faramir was about to fall over the edge. After a time, she found out that he had full control over himself, and she began to catch the habit. Sort of like the way she found herself doing things while Faramir was away that were part of his usual routine. Sometimes she would check his traps, or suddenly pick up one of his books and read it, or sit beside the window daydreaming and fall asleep in the sun. They were all things that Faramir did, but Eowyn noticed herself doing them more and more often while waiting for him to return.

At the beginning, she used to cry every day when he was away. She would scold herself, as she very rarely cried and suddenly she was doing it like a four-year-old child. After the first half-year, though, she became less emotionally fragile. She still felt her heart aching badly while he was gone, but she had enough control to keep herself functioning normally. But still, every time, she would come to wait for Faramir alone, in the place where he was supposed to first enter Gondor. Today, it was the cliffs by the sea.

As she dreamed, her eyes began to flutter closed, and she tried hard to keep herself awake. Suddenly, in the distance, a blur seemed to appear on the water. Eowyn's eyes flew open. She did not move her gaze from the horizon as she stood, impatiently wishing the blur would move faster. It seemed to go slower than a dead troll. However, little by little, its details became visible. It was, as she hoped, a Gondor ship. And, with a little more luck, it would be Faramir's.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the ship moved towards the shore. The sun's rays peeked over the horizon, shooting a few beams of orange-gold light on to the vessel, illuminating the sails, the ropes, and the figure standing at the bow. Somehow, Eowyn was absolutely sure that the figure was Faramir. It was not only the fuzzy details that fit his description. There was a sudden feeling that washed over her, that her husband was home after four months, and that he was standing at the bow waiting to catch a glimpse of her. She knew it was him, and he knew that the one who was standing on the cliff was her.

A little closer, a little more, the ship was growing larger. Eowyn knew it was foolish of her to be so impatient. She had waited for four months already; these last minutes should not be this difficult to live through.

The final few feet seemed to take the longest to cover. The ship just would not touch the shore. By the time it did, she was already on the rocky beach of the harbor. Suddenly, as the ship slid to a stop, Eowyn was unsure of what to do. Every single time, it always happened like this. She wished and wished for him to come back, and when he finally did, she would stand before him unable to speak, not knowing how to tell him what she had wanted to say for all the time he was gone.

Even before the sailors jumped down to tie the ship, Faramir had vaulted over the railing and jumped the thirteen feet to the ground. He smiled as he saw Eowyn there and immediately, she wasn't cold anymore as his arms encircled her body. Suddenly, Eowyn knew that every time, everything would end up being all right, because even if she didn't know what to say, Faramir always knew what to do. Feeling his arms around her healed all the pain and heartsickness of the last four months. For a while, neither of them spoke. _He smells really good_, Eowyn thought hazily to herself. Finally, Faramir asked,

"Did you come out here alone again?"

"Shieldmaiden," she replied, "Remember?" She did not hesitate before adding, "And I want you to myself for now." He smiled.

"I see your point." She held onto him for a little longer.

"Faramir…" she half-whispered. It had been too long since she had said that. "I love you." It had been too long since she had said _that_, as well. And suddenly, like a four-year-old child, she found herself crying again as he kissed her. Faramir was really back. The waiting was over now.


End file.
